The poll question isn’t entirely clear. There’s been private digital services (Sky, UPC, Freeview) available for years. And I’d argue that most people have connected at least one of their TVs to these, with any other TVs in the house still on the old analogue service. Do these people count as having made the switch?

TV is muck anyway

Cue the aerial sales and fitting brigade telling the people who don’t know any better that they need new aerials that cost €17,000 and your first-born child

I suggest changing the title of the poll. Currently it reads “have you made the change to digital television?”. This title would include those who use Sky, UPC, etc. As we all know, more than half the country is already serviced by these two companies, never mind local providers (such as Smiths in Cavan) also providing digital television. If the focus is narrowed to include only those who have made the change to Saorview it would be a lot more informative (even if it is only reflective TheJournal.ie readers).

Seeing the GAA and other sports in HD is great, it’s just a pity a lot of the programs they pump out are mind numbing and riddelled with adds :-(

I no longer have a television. The reason being the expense of the licence plus having to pay for a sky subscription to RupertBloodyMurdoch to actually see what I paid the licence for.
That is nothing short of disgusting. I could watch the BBC on satellite for NOTHING but for the Irish Govt to sell what belongs to the Irish people to SKy is a national disgrace.
Anyway, what I miss is some of the TG4 programmes. RTE 1 & 2 are a pile of crap and TV3 is all imported yank rubbish and stupid “cleb” trivia. That isn’t worth paying good money for.

Id love to know what plans the minister has in place for those who cannot afford to upgrade their equipment ? In reality one will need a proper outdoor aerial to receive a good digital signal (certainly outside Dublin at least).

I wonder will pirate tv stations start up on analog now? A bit of an Irish Wayne’s world would be great craic!

Anybody (probably 95% of the population) who watch TV are WAY behind the times. Everything on is on the Web.

We’ve digital TV’s but not yet bought any digital box to receive RTE. As we run a B&B we have 5 TV’s installed at great expense to be Fáilte Ireland compliant – trouble is folk still want to sit in the living room to watch TV now we’re supposed to pay €100,- per TV (Not €50.- as stated above) for ‘free RTE’.
I suppose I would mind paying if there was even 50% worth watching – but it’s more like 10% and then one gets drawn in and too lazy to switch off. Most of the programmes I want to watch are after 23.00hrs – and because we don’t have Sky Box we can’t record them. Anyway we found out that switching off the TV/Sky (free-channel) Box at tight saves about €1,30 per day. That pays for rental or the odd DVD anyway.

This is going to be rip off time again. I pay my tv licence and would have to

pay Sky a subscription to reveive the Irish channels in Ireland by satellite .The other option buy a combi receiver

Can receive an analogue signal so I don’t think I’d receive a digital one either. But I’m with Sky for years

do u need to change if u have sky?

Advertisers please note YOU ARE ABOUT TO LOOSE A HELL OF A LOT OF VIEWERS !!!

I still say as the switch over date draws near, it’ll be a complete mess. Not enough turnaround time given to the public.

I was ready,however that digital receiver no longer works properly as they have made changes to the way they broadcast,so I wouldnt advise anyone to make the changeover until the switchoff is almost upon us.

In Wexford, I was getting RTE analog & Freeview from Wales which came into my my TV with one lead. I could not receive Saorview (on a Saorview ready HDTV) because the transmitter for Saorview is on Mt Leinster (west of me) & Wales to the east. So I had another antenna connected (thanks to Mr Redmond for €135). However, Saorview & FreeView share Channel 45, so now I need two inputs to the TV. Not a huge problem, but I have a PVR/DVR and want to be able to record from both sources. I choose to connect the Saorview thru the PVR/DVR & therefore I can no longer record Freeview programs (not a huge loss, but annoying). Why Saorview is not on the terrestrial FreeView service OR the FreeToView (satellite system) is a mystery to me!

We barely managed to get the Irish Channels through Ariel and we can’t pick up a UPC signal so I’m not sure does that mean we now won’t receive any signal once the analogue goes????

We got an old sky box from the North and get loads of the English channels for a once off payment..Who has a hundred quid lying around these days..this is something they should maybe of thought of during the days when most people still had jobs.